Leclerc Cautions Ferrari Fans: Recent Upgrades Not Enough to Secure Season-Long Wins

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari's upgrade is 'insufficient' to 'secure race victories for the remainder of the season'

"Is it adequate to secure wins for the rest of the season? I believe not yet, but we've certainly made significant progress."

Charles Leclerc has cautioned that Ferrari must enhance their performance to reliably compete with McLaren throughout the rest of the 2024 F1 season.

Leclerc secured his second win of the season by using a one-stop strategy to outpace McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Prior to Piastri's second pit stop, Leclerc trailed by five seconds, underscoring that McLaren possessed the fastest car at Monza.

Ferrari unveiled a major update for the Italian Grand Prix, aimed at addressing their issues with car bouncing.

In the FIA press conference following the Monza race, Leclerc advised Ferrari to "exercise caution."

"We need to exercise caution," he stated. "Following Monaco, I believe we've experienced the four most challenging races of the season, as Monaco catered uniquely to our car's specifications at that moment. Monza, too, is a track with its own unique characteristics."

“There were many straight sections and few turns. We also had a rear wing specifically designed for this track, which contributed to our victory today. Additionally, we had another upgrade that I believe has brought us closer to McLaren’s performance, though I doubt it will make us the leading car for the remainder of the season on other tracks.

"There is still much to be done, but I'm thrilled to have achieved this in Italy."

After facing challenges since the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc is only 24 points behind Norris in the drivers' standings.

In the constructors' standings, Ferrari trails Red Bull by only 39 points.

However, Leclerc has tried to temper expectations, recalling similar championship hopes that arose after his victory in Monaco.

"This weekend we showed a lot of strength, but Baku might present a completely different challenge, and Singapore will be different yet again. Therefore, it's crucial for us to start fresh. We already made adjustments between Monaco and Montreal, but as evidenced, the transition from one weekend to the next brought about significant changes."

"We experienced three or four of the toughest races this season as we tried to figure out the issues with our car. Moving forward, I hope we don’t face such challenging races again, and I believe we won't."

"However, it's crucial that both the team and external expectations remain grounded after just one race, as it's unrealistic to expect drastic changes."

"Have we made progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to start winning races for the rest of the season? Not quite, but we've definitely moved in the right direction."

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